Sharing the stories of those affected by Autoimmune disease

Technology

iMD Partners with the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA)

On July 17, 2019, iMD Health Global, a Toronto-based health technology company, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA). The partnership will help enhance communication between physicians and autoimmune disease patients to improve health outcomes.

iMD Health provides revolutionary technology to facilitate dialogue between physicians and patients inside the examination room. The iMD platform enables healthcare professionals to instantly access thousands of educational graphics, videos and resources at the point of care. The company’s platform is currently being used across Canada, and is now expanding across the United States as well.

Virginia Ladd, Executive Director & President of the AARDA commented, “With iMD, quick and easy access to a robust and visually appealing resource is now literally at the physician’s fingertips. With a better understanding of their conditions, patients can make informed and responsible decisions about managing their health and the required steps to address their condition.”

Is There a Connection Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Autoimmune Disease?

Dawn Debois, a columnist on Lambert-Eaton News, explores the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and the development of autoimmune disease.

Debois has several autoimmune conditions herself, including Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS), psoriatic arthritis, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and ankylosing spondylitis. These conditions lead to her being diagnosed with multiple autoimmune syndrome.

Debois believes that the early childhood trauma that she experienced from losing her mother before the age of five and being placed into foster care may have triggered the onset of these autoimmune conditions. She completed a questionnaire that revealed that she had an ACE score of four, which is considered high, and is a high predictor of diagnosed autoimmune disease in adulthood, according to this study.

She further discusses the prevalence of the protein HLA-B27 in her blood, which can lead to a higher risk of developing certain autoimmune diseases. Therefore, while early childhood trauma may be an environmental factor affecting the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, there are genetic factors as well.

To read more about Deb’s story and the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and autoimmunity, click here.